A Phoenix Tale
by Lucas'sBird
Summary: Katy Phoenix was the new girl on the block one year ago, and this is the story of her life in Tree Hill. Her friendship with Brooke from a very young age influences her, but how will she adapt to her new life? Season 3 onwards... my version
1. Chapter 1

One Tree Hill

1 – And So It Begins

"Kate, we do this every summer!" Haley complained, rolling her eyes at the dark-haired girl sat opposite her in the field. "Don't you think it's getting old?"

"It's tradition, Hales!" Katy bit back cheerfully, "C'mon guys; I'll start. Brooke; the first game you cheered at?"

Brooke, a slim, attractive girl with brown hair and a petite frame, sat up from her lying position and wiggled herself into a comfortable position. "Well... It was my third year at Tree Hill High-"

"No way!" Haley protested again with a loud laugh. "I've heard this story _a thousand_ times! Let's try a new one."

It was late summer and the three girls were sat in a large field that bordered the clear river that ran through Tree Hill. Katy, a small yet wild-natured girl with dark brown hair and similarly brown doe eyes, was lying on the long grass with her two friends; Brooke Davis and Hayley James Scott.

Brooke was often called Katy's twin, as the two of them are rarely without the other and share many of the same physical features. They had been best friends since kindergarten and although they'd been apart for many years and Katy had only moved to Tree Hill last summer, their families were close. Katy had finally escaped her wealthy parents and their preciously perfect lifestyle and had moved to Tree Hill to live the reel teenage life with Brooke.

Haley was just as pretty as the other two; with long wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. The three girls were best friends, even though Haley and Katy had only known each other a year, but the bond was indestructible. At just seventeen Haley was already married, but after an enormous mistake, she and Nathan were going through some difficult times.

Brooke and Katy had been away for the entire summer break and had returned home a week before school was due to start. They'd been visiting their families in their large summer homes in Italy and Spain and had come back late last night with endless amounts of luggage and great tans. Haley had been home a week longer than them, finishing her music tour and feeling the need to return to her true home, and had been spending time with Lucas, her best male friend, until the girls returned.

The three girls were soaking up the last of the summer sun. It was late August and they would soon be starting their senior year at Tree Hill High. Katy was running through the end of summer ritual; the game of 'Remember when...' whilst waiting for the others to arrive.

"Okay," Brooke said, her eyes narrowing as they so often did, "How about remember the first time you cheated on your husband?" Her tone was playful, yet the girls knew there was some truth behind the bluntness of the words.

"Don't remind me," Haley groaned lying down on her front and burying her head in the grass. She began to bang her forehead repeatedly on the hard floor and whine frustratedly.

"Awh baby," Katy cooed, crawling over and throwing her arms over Haley's shoulders in comfort. Haley ceased her head bashing and lay still while Katy turned onto her back and lay her head on Haley's back as a cushion. "How's Nathan after everything?"

"I don't know," Haley said, her voice muffled as she tried to speak through the ground. "He isn't speaking to me. I didn't even know he'd got back from High Flyers until you called this morning!"

"Well, can you blame him?" Katy smirked, looking over at Brooke, who had now taken up stroking Haley's hair. "You kissed Chris Keller!"

"Can you blame Haley?!" Brooke chimed in, her voice now husky and alluring, "Chris Keller is yum-my."

Haley rolled over abruptly and Katy's head hit the floor immediately and she winced in pain. "I'd take it back if I could, you know I would girls!" Haley pleaded, almost desperately.

"We know, Hales," Brooke said, approaching Haley once more as she sat up. "And the sooner Nathan realises that, the better." Brooke slipped her arm around Haley's shoulder and rested her head on her's.

"Back to the game now?" Katy said in mock-impatience. "Your go Haley."

Brooke released Haley and returned to lying on the grass, pulling petals from the nearby daisies. "Okay," Haley began, racking her brains for any inspiration, "Your first memory of Brooke?"

"Ohh nice one!" Brooke said, her face lighting with excitement. "Come on then, Phoenix, this better be a good'un."

Katy smiled and thought for a moment, trying to find the earliest memory she had. "Well, we were something like seven years old, I think, and it was summer time. I remember Brooke was wearing this disgusting floral shirt; I tell you, you wouldn't be seen dead in that now Miss-Professional-Designer! Anyway, I was in the sandpit at the park, playing with a boy called Aaron-"

"Oh God!" Brooke said, burying her head in her hands and giggling, "I can't believe you remember this!"

"Yep," Katy said, grinning craftily. "So Brooke comes along, strutting her stuff, and tells Aaron that I loved him. Which of course I didn't... Brooke was just jealous because he let me play with his special truck! Then Aaron ran off and said he would never play with me again, all thanks to Brooke here!"

Haley burst into laughter and stared at Katy, "Jesus Kate, this truck must have been really special, you look seriously upset!"

"Nope, she's just upset because the first guy that found out she loved him ran off crying and turned gay in later life," Brooke said smugly.

"No way! Aaron Brown's gay?!" Katy gasped in pure shock.

"Hah! So you pushed him over the edge did you?" Haley shrieked, as the trio fell into hysterical laughter. "I hope Luc turns out alright!"

"Why, what are you planning on doing to me?" A male voice said from somewhere beyond the giggles. Wheezing for breath, the girls stopped their laughter and looked up towards the source of the voice. Lucas, Nathan and Mouth were stood a few yards away staring amusedly at the trio.

It was Lucas who had spoken; he was tall with short, fair hair and tanned skin. He was wearing his basketball vest and combat shorts and was squinting down at Haley in confusion. "What do you mean _turns out alright_?" He asked again.

"Nothing, Luc," Haley grinned. "Come to enjoy the last days of sunshine then?" She looked around at the boys and spotted Nathan. She gave him an innocent and nervous smile, before returning her gaze to Lucas.

Nathan stared determinedly at the grass below him and didn't return Haley's smile; he couldn't. He wanted to forgive Haley, and in his mind he knew he already had, he just didn't know whether he was ready to let her back in. Following several stern words from his half-brother he had been persuaded to join him and Mouth in their trip to the field.

Lucas and Nathan were half-brothers, sharing the same father; Dan Scott. Dan had only ever been there for Nathan, but Lucas couldn't have cared less as he had all he would ever need in a father in Dan's brother Keith. Despite their blood relations, Lucas and Nathan had been constantly at each other's throats since Nathan and Haley had split and had spoken for the first time in weeks when Nathan returned home from his basketball camp the previous day.

Lucas and Haley were best friends, always had been, and he wanted nothing more than for Nathan to give in to his love for Haley and for the two of them to be reunited once more. Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Well?"

"It's nothing, just girl stuff," Brooke said, smirking at her two female companions. "Hey Mouth, finally managed to drag these two away from the basketball court then?"

Marvin, or Mouth as he was more commonly known, was the most intelligent of the group. He often said he was blessed with brains instead of the brawns. And what he lacked in sex appeal he largely made up for in his kind heart and endless knowledge.

"Just about," Mouth said, sitting down next to Brooke, "They might as well live at the Riverside Court!"

"I know what you mean," Katy said, smiling up at Lucas, who remained standing with Nathan who was clearly unwilling to sit with his wife.

"Now that you're here you can join the end-of-summer routine," Haley said, trying to remain unfazed by Nathan's reluctance.

"Ahh the famous game," Mouth said, smiling over at Katy, "You'd think she'd of grown out of this," He said, speaking as if Katy wasn't there.

"Oi! Come on guys, I know you all secretly love my childish ways!" Katy objected, gaping around at her friends.

"We wouldn't have you any other way," Lucas whispered, dropping onto the grass beside her and nudging her gently with his shoulder. "Okay Mouth; remember the first time you met Katy."

"That's got to be first day of term last year..."

_Katy straightened his skirt awkwardly. She was sat in Brooke's car listening to Brooke moan about the teachers she didn't want. It was the first day of their freshman year at Tree Hill High and Katy's first day at Tree Hill altogether .Following Brooke's instructions, Katy was dressed in a short denim skirt and a white silk blouse that fell flatteringly around her small frame._

"_I can't wait for you to meet everyone!" Brooke said, sudden excitement leaping into her voice. "I told them all about you, except for all your dirty secrets of course. You'll get to meet Haley; you'll love her, Peyton; well, you can think what you want about her! Then there's the guys, Lucas, Nathan and Mouth; they're the best ones. Ohh, we're here!" Brooke said, locking in the hand break and shaking her head as she always did when excited. _

_Katy looked up from her lap and stared around at her surroundings. The sun shone brightly over the school and covered her with warmth as she got out of the car and joined Brooke at the bonnet. The Tree Hill High sign stood tall at the opening of the school; a modern looking building with large windows and a small green garden at the entrance. _

_Groups of people were walking casually from the car park towards the doors, smiling and laughing as they were reunited with old friends. Katy bit the corner of her mouth in anxiety as Brooke dragged her away from the safety of the car and into the unknown._

"_Brooke!" A girl screeched coming darting towards where they were standing. "It's great to see you again, why do you have to go away _every_ summer?!"_

"_The Spanish beaches call me, actually it's more like the lifeguards! Haley, this is Katy; she's moved to Tree Hill to live with us in true teenage glamour!" Brooke said, smiling cheekily._

"_Nice to meet you," Haley said brightly, smiling at Katy, "I feel like I already know you, Brooke's told us all about you."_

"_Oh God, this girl talks for America doesn't she?" Katy said, shaking her head at Brooke. _

"_You must be nervous coming to a new school? These last couple of years are going to be amazing though!" Haley said._

"_I know, no parents, no rules; it's my idea of heaven!" Katy sighed in emphasized happiness._

"_Wow," Haley said, laughing softly, "That sounds just like something Brooke would say; you guys are totally like twins!"_

"_Here comes everyone else," Brooke said, her smile lengthening as she grinned over at the small group of people walking towards them._

"_So Brooke's friend's starting today; you guys met her yet?" Mouth asked as he, Lucas and Nathan walked up towards the entrance of the high school. _

"_Nope," Nathan said, "Should be interesting, a new addition to the group."_

"_Yeah and if she's anything like Brooke says she is, it should make these next two years even more fun," Lucas said. "Personally I can't wait to get back in the gym! This season should be tough..."_

"_I know, Whitey's desperate for the championship," Nathan said, stopping and leaning against the notice board._

"_It's always basketball with you two, I swear!" Mouth complained with a big smile on his face. "Hey look, that's her."_

_The boys looked up in the direction Mouth was staring and noticed the three girls stood beside Brooke's car. Haley and Brooke were smiling and nodding as they spoke to the unrecognisable girl. She had long brown hair and looked very similar to Brooke, though with softer features. _

"_Shall we go over?" Nathan asked, studying his wife and the two girls. It had been a while since they'd had a new student at their school and he wasn't quite sure how to act._

"_Yeah come on, they've spotted us," Mouth said, as Brooke waved them over. They approached the huddle and Mouth was first to speak. "Hey, you must be Katy, I'm Mouth."_

_Katy raised a quizzical eyebrow as he introduced himself. "Mouth? Right... I don't even want to know how you got that nickname!" She laughed whole-heartedly. "Nice to meet you," She said politely._

"_It's not what you think!" Mouth said with a defensive smile. Brooke leapt forwards and hugged Mouth with a squeal. "Hey Brooke, good to see you again. Good summer?"_

"_Can't complain, well actually I can. I have major tan lines! Honestly, white strap marks are not good with my new beach top," She complained, unwrapping her arms from around Mouth and pouting miserably. _

"_Brooke, the summer's over you don't need beach tops anymore," Haley smirked. "Katy this is Nathan, my husband."_

_Nathan draped his arm around Haley's shoulders and kissed her head. "Hey," he said brightly smiling welcomingly at Katy._

"_And I'm Lucas," Lucas said, stepping forward and flashing Katy his award-winning smile. "Welcome to Tree Hill High."_

"_Thanks," Katy replied, feeling more comfortable now than she had when she'd got out of Brooke's car. "You probably didn't need those introductions, Brooke never shuts up about you all. I guess we're only missing Peyton now, that right?"_

"_She's good," Lucas smirked, glancing up at Brooke. "Peyton's probably already inside. The bell went a couple of minutes ago."_

"_C'mon Kate, I'll show you your locker. Coming Hales?" Brooke asked, linking arms with Katy and holding the other out for Haley._

"_Sure," she shrugged, pulling away from Nathan and joining Brooke and Katy. "Laters guys." The trio walked away towards the school doors, smiling and talking brightly. _

"_That looks like another Brooke to me," Nathan said, watching them walk away. "But that's not a bad thing; life and soul of the party." He rolled his eyes with a smile and turned to face the other boys. "What do you think?"_

"_She seems nice," Mouth said truthfully. "Doesn't look like she'll have any problem fitting in..."_

"Awh Mouth," Katy said sweetly, "That's so cute! I missed you the most over our summer vacation," Katy said wiggling her nose at Mouth as he smiled bashfully and everyone rolled their eyes at him.

"Okay," Nathan said, giving in and sitting down beside Mouth, "What about you Luc, what did you think the first time you met Kate?"

Lucas glanced intentionally at the girl sat beside him and smirked. "Well you were wearing that little skirt and shirt..."

"Which I told you to wear," Brooke piped up from the floor. "Dress with confidence and style," she chimed, "first rule of good impressions."

"Anyway," Luc continued, "You were cheerful and funny. Mouth was right... You _seemed nice._"

"That's not what I meant!" Nathan said, raising his eyebrows meaningfully at his brother. "Tell them what-"

Brooke's phone ran, interrupting Nathan's sentence and all heads turned towards her. She sat up and answered it. "P. Sawyer!" She said loudly, "Get your lazy ass out of bed and come enjoy the summer!"

As Brooke continued to talk Katy turned back to Nathan and Lucas. "I wanna know! What are you talking about Nath?"

"I have no idea," Lucas said before Nathan could answer. The two boys exchanged a smirk before returning to watch Brooke finish her phone call.

"Peyton said she'll be down in a bit. I've got to meet her at the Riverside Court so don't go anywhere." She got to her feet and pocketed her cell phone.

"Hey wait up," Haley said, jumping up and standing at Brooke's side. "I need to get my jacket from Peyton's car, hopefully it's still there," she lied, creating a story so she could escape the awkward silence that surrounded her and Nathan.

Peyton hadn't spoken to Haley at all since she'd returned to Tree Hill and she'd left Peyton plenty of messages. This would be a good chance for her to find out what was wrong.

"Okay, in a bit girls," Katy called as her friends walked away from them in the opposite direction.

Once they were out of earshot she turned to Nathan and frowned in confusion. "I couldn't help noticing how you determinedly ignored your wife," she said bluntly.

Nathan's mouth dropped open slightly in shock. He and Katy had always got on; in many ways they were complete opposites but this made it the perfect friendship. They had never tiptoed around sensitive issues with each other and today was no different.

"It's been ages Nathan, when are you going to give in?" She asked, her voice turning gentler as she spoke. "Haley's hurting so much and you can't see it because you won't look beyond your own selfish jealousy. I know you love her! Everyone does..."

Mouth looked nervously at the floor as Nathan bit back. "I don't think you'd say the same if your husband had kissed some 'Chris Keller' slut!" He said angrily, "I'd never be jealous of him, just angry at Haley. And I have every right to be. It's actually none of your business so why don't you butt out."

"Guys," Lucas said suddenly, "Let's not do this today, please. It's the end of the summer we should be making the most of it."

"You're right Luc," Katy said after a moment of silence. She felt she should apologise to Nathan but didn't want to. She stood by what she had said, but chose to put it aside for now. "I'm going to the river, it's always gorgeous late summer."


	2. Chapter 2

2 – Deep Blue Sea

Katy walked away from the three boys and towards the riverbank. The summer sun warmed her legs beneath her thin jeans and she wiggled her toes happily in her flip-flops. She hated the tension in the group since the incident with Haley and Chris Keller and had tried on several occasions to help them smooth things over.

She reached the edge of the field as it began to slope slowly downwards towards the narrowest part of the large river that ran through the entire town. Small trees and bushes lined the field and the river's edge, and the bank turned to dirt and dusk as it neared the river.

An old, small, wooden pier stood a few yards away from her, with a couple of wooden makeshift pillars to tie small boats to. The river was just wide enough for two small speedboats to race down but they were rarely seen in this part.

"You were right," Lucas's voice said from behind Katy, startling her slightly, "Gorgeous..."

Katy turned and smiled at him. He walked down the steep part of the bank towards her, his charming smile dancing on his face.

"Hey you," she said as he stopped in front of her. "Sorry about Nathan; this whole thing just drives me mad." She shrugged, then relaxed and smiled at him. "It's great to see you again; I missed you, you know."

"You too, sunshine," he replying quietly. "I can't help remembering how we left things..."

Katy tried to ignore his last comment and turned back to face the river. "I love this place; the river, the fields, the sunshine... It's perfect."

Lucas watched her as she smiled over at the river and waited for her to notice his surprise; a reminder of the time they'd spent with each other before the summer had begun. He smiled as her eyes wandered to the far side of the river. Katy's face lit up as she spotted the small and shining boat floating on the opposite side to them.

She tilted her head sideways to look at Lucas. "You remembered?" She said; her voice quiet with happiness and overwhelmed with surprise.

"I said I'd never forget," he said simply. "I rang Keith last night and asked him if I could borrow it. I thought we should round off this summer in style."

The small fishing boat had been special to Katy, and Lucas for that matter, from the day she first set eyes on it. Much like the boat her parents had had when she was a child, it was a small wooden fishing boat. However it had been updated, with a larger deck, big enough to hold a table and chairs, and although it still had a sail, it was helped along by a small motorised propeller.

The boat belonged to Lucas's uncle Keith and he kept it moored at the big bay at the opposite side of the town. Its blue coating was inscribed with the name _Deep Blue Sea_ in large gold letters.

Katy walked along the edge of the river towards the boat and couldn't help smiling ridiculously. Lucas followed her silently, enjoying her happiness as if it were his own. "I'll get everyone else and we can take her for a ride," He said, stopping as they reached a small bridge that led to the other side of the river.

"Okay, I'll bring her over to the pier for you. And Luc," she said, turning to him, "Thank you for this, for everything." She stepped forward and kissed his cheek lightly, unwilling to pull away.

She closed her eyes momentarily, inhaling the familiar smell of his cologne, before standing back and crossing the bridge.

Lucas watched Katy bounce across the little bridge, still holding onto the feeling of her lips on his cheek. He turned back to the field and climbed back up the river bank, ready to return to Mouth and Nathan.

"Listen," Mouth said nervously, minutes after Lucas had left them, "Don't worry about Kate, she's just torn between you and Haley. She only wants to see you both happy again; we all do."

"I know, Mouth, it's just not that simple." Nathan stretched his legs out in front of him and sighed deeply.

"Nothing ever is these days. What's the deal with Luc and Katy anyway?" Mouth asked curiously.

"To be honest mate, I don't know. You know what Katy's like; she's practically a Brooke clone."

"I wouldn't go that far," Mouth smirked, "Sure they're similar, but Katy is different in loads of ways."

"Well, nothing's ever straight forward when Tree Hill girls are involved!" Nathan concluded. "Luc seems pretty into her though."

"But he did spend most of the summer with Peyton. While you were at the High Flyers basketball thing, Haley was doing her music stuff, and Brooke and Katy were on vacation, it was just the two of them. I don't know details, but this is Lucas and Peyton we're talking about," Mouth said, shaking his head slightly.

"I had no idea," Nathan said quietly. He felt protective over Katy, almost like an older brother, and he couldn't stand to think of Lucas and Peyton having a summer fling when he knew what had been said between him and Katy before she left for the summer.

"Well I guess we'll find out sooner or later. The girls are back." The two boys looked over at the approaching trio and smiled in welcome.

"Hey Mouth, Nathan. What's up?" Peyton said as she, Brooke and Haley halted beside them, remaining standing.

Peyton was taller than the other girls, with a hair of short blonde hair, which she wore straight today though was usually in tight curls. She was different to the others, an artist with a strong taste for music. Haley, being a professional signer, was the ideal friend for Peyton, but still Peyton appeared closer to Brooke than the other two.

Peyton had a history with both Nathan and Lucas, but was currently single and it had been ages since her relationship with Lucas had finished. She, Brooke, Haley and Katy were the best of friends and shared countless memories, and a fair share of fights. However, now Peyton seemed hostile towards Haley, not looking at her or talking to her.

"Glad to see you're out of the zombie pit!" Mouth said cheerfully.

"Well I couldn't stay in bed for ever, as much as I would love to," she grinned in return. "Here comes Luc."

Lucas came jogging over to the group and stopped, leaning on Haley's shoulder. "C'mon guys, we've got a surprise at the river," he said, pushing Haley forwards in the right direction.

Everyone groaned in protest as her urged them to move from their comfortable sunny position, but eventually everyone was making their way back towards the river.

Lucas and Haley lagged behind the group and he turned to her suddenly, "You know Hales, I'm glad you're back. You are back for good right?"

"Always and forever," she said looking sorrowfully forwards after Nathan. That was their phrase; Haley and Nathan's declaration of love, _always and forever._

Lucas elbowed her ribs as they walked, "Don't worry, he'll come to his sense eventually."

The group stepped out from between a line of bushes and onto the top of the river bank. They smiled around at the scene, each of them remembering some memory or another of times spent together at that spot.

"Hey guys!" Katy's voice called from the other side of the river and the rest of the group noticed the happy little boat. She beamed over at them and turned the keys, turning the propeller into motion with a light rumble. "I'll bring her over; hang on!"

"You sure you can sail that okay?" Lucas called back, "Be careful."

"Relax Luc, I told you it's just like the one my parents used to have," she said happily, ducking automatically as the boom swung around. She gave a bright chirp and turned back towards the controls.

"Wow," Brooke whispered, nudging Peyton's side as she spoke to her and Haley. "Lucas's moves have certainly improved since he was with you, Sawyer."

The two girls gazed around at their friend, without any idea of what she meant. "What do you mean, _his moves?_" Haley asked curiously.

"The boat!" Brooke said exasperatedly, raising her eyebrows, "Don't tell me you can't remember?" She laughed loudly, causing Mouth to send an amused look her way. "Katy, Lucas and _Deep Blue Sea._ It's Keith's boat..."

Peyton widened her eyes and shook her head, "I have no idea what you're getting at."

"This is the boat?" Haley said, suddenly catching on. "I get it now." Her smile widened as she looked over at Lucas, who was watching Katy with a sincere smile on his face.

"What boat?" Peyton asked, eager for information and hating being kept in the dark.

"Their first kiss, Peyton," Brooke said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it was obvious. "Lucas smuggled Katy onto Keith's boat when she told him she used to have one just like it. So romantic!" She raised her shoulders and smiled across at the boat.

"Oh right," Peyton said, in an emotionless tone. "How cute..."

"Peyton!" Katy yelled over from the middle of the river. "Hey girlie, how was your summer?"

"Great thanks," Peyton called back, laughing as Katy tripped over a bucket on board the boat. Peyton looked sideways at Lucas, who hadn't spoken to her all day and wondered if there was something she should know...

"Okay, careful now, take her over to the pier!" Lucas said, as Katy steered the boat towards their side of the river.

"I'm the Captain, Luc, I know what to do!" She replied back playfully.

Just beyond the pier, a brick wall lined the bank, preventing it from eroding and falling into the river. Katy sailed the boat past the group and they all watched her as she approached the wooden pier.

A loud crunching noise and the boat shuddered. Katy fell to the floor of the boat as it shook beneath her. She could hear the group calling out to her and she tried to get up. Her feet slipped on the wet surface and she remained sprawled on the floor.

She turned onto her back and sat up, trying to pull her legs in towards her. Her right foot was stuck in the sail mooring line, tangled up in her flip-flop strap. She pulled fiercely at the rope and tried to slip free.

The group was suddenly alert, staring down at the boat in shock.

"Katy? Katy!" Nathan called, searching for Katy's form in the shaking boat.

"She hit something, there's a huge hole in the stern," Lucas said, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Nathan, I'm fine!" Katy shouted back, "My foot's stuck, just give me a second." Now frustrated at her stupidity, Katy kicked out at the rope entangling her foot and thrashed violently. Finally the rope loosened and she pulled her foot loose, losing her sandal as she went.

As she prepared to stand again, Katy heard Brooke shriek in panic. "Katy! Watch out!"

Katy stood up and followed Brooke's gaze. The boat was heading straight for the wall ahead of the pier. "Shit," Katy yelped vulnerably, leaping towards the boat's controls.

Lucas raced down the bank and sprinted to the side of the boat. He contemplated jumping over to the boat to help Katy off, but the gap was too great. "Katy! Kate, turn the engine off!" He called desperately.

"Engine off, gotcha!" She said, trying to calm herself as she looked away from Brooke, Haley and Peyton; each of who looked sick with worry.

Katy groped at the controls and her fingers fumbled over the keys. She clasped her damp hands around them and tried to turn them. The keys slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor of the boat.

"I dropped them," she called angrily, dropping to her knees and searching around for them.

Lucas stared helplessly at the boat as it headed rapidly towards the wall, preparing for total destruction. He spun around and stared at Nathan who was panting as he halted at his side. "Help me!" Lucas shouted, urgently eager to get Katy off the boat and safe.

"Kate," Nathan called calmly, trying to control the situation, "Forget the keys. Turn the boat away from the bank! Try and get it to the opposite side of the river!"

Katy could hear Nathan's voice, but it became muffled as another crunching sound echoed around her. She screamed as she was flung sideways from her knees and sent crashing into the wall of the boat.

Haley screamed out for Katy as the boat collided with the solid wall. The wood at the bow of the ship splintered and shattered, littering the river surrounding it.

Katy steadied herself and gripped the edge of the boat tightly, trying to pull herself up. She could hear everyone calling for her as Haley and Brooke screamed and whimpered loudly.

Now standing steadily, Katy could see the true reality of her situation. The boat was being turned up as it drove unfalteringly into the wall; wood breaking off in huge slabs and water gushing over the head of the boat.

"Jump!" Lucas yelled, fear gripping his body. "Kate JUMP!"

"NO!" Mouth shouted, "The gap's too small, if she jumps she'll be caught in the propeller!" Lucas stared powerlessly between Katy on the boat, the wall and his friends on shore.

Before anyone had time to act, the boom of the boat swung across. Katy's grip on the side of the boat loosened completely as she was hit hard on the side of the head. The boom pushed her effortlessly from the boat and the group watched as she fell, as if in slow motion, into the water below.

Haley and Peyton gasped loudly between their silent tears and Brooke staggered forward a huge scream of panic escaping her.

"NO!" Lucas yelled, his body shaking in horror as Katy didn't resurface. Without a second thought he dived head first into the river after her, not worrying what might happen to him.

"Call 911!" Nathan ordered Mouth, who acted immediately. Nathan dropped to his knees beside the river and searched below for any sign of his brother or Katy. "Lucas! Luc?!"

A huge splash of water and a large gasp of breath as Lucas resurfaced moments later. He held Katy's limp body in his arms and was panting heavily. "Take her," he gasped, holding her out weakly for Nathan.

Nathan lifted her soaking body out of the water and placed her on the sand, holding her fragile form against him. "C'mon," he pleaded silently, brushing her sodden hair back from her face.

Lucas pulled himself from the river, still struggling to catch his breath, and crawled to Katy's side. He took her unconscious body from Nathan and gazed down at her, cradling her head.

"She's breathing," Nathan whispered in relief, "She's breathing!" He repeated louder so that the girls could hear.

Brooke was being restrained and comforted by Mouth, while Haley and Peyton were supporting each other. Nathan stood up to go and reassure the girls, when Lucas spoke again.

"Nathan..." He said weakly. Nathan turned back to him and stared down at his pale face. Lucas had pulled his hand away from Katy's head to reveal it soaked in blood. "Nathan..." Lucas repeated desperately, tears trickling from his eyes as he feared the worst.

Nathan dropped to his knees once more, despair finally taking its toll. He lifted her cold, damp hand in his and squeezed it gently, praying she'd be okay.

"The ambulance is here Nathan," Mouth called, waking the two boys from their nightmarish trance. Nathan nodded and lifted Katy out of Lucas's shaking arms, carrying her steadily towards the ambulance, which had pulled up just beyond the river bank.

The paramedics placed her one a stretcher and strapped her in, placing an oxygen mask over her mouth. "Only one of you can ride with us," one of them said, holding out a hand as both Nathan and Lucas made to climb in after her. "We'll meet you at the hospital. Quickly now." He stood back, ready to let one of them by.

"You go," Nathan said, stepping back. "Give me your keys and I'll bring the girls in your car." "Thanks man," Lucas said quietly, climbing into the back of the ambulance.

"Hey," Nathan said, gripping his brother's arm tightly, "This isn't your fault." Lucas nodded silently as Nathan released him and watched the doors slide shut.

Eerie lights shone inside the ambulance as the two paramedics attached wires to Katy's chest and hooked her up to a machine on the wall. One man began to tend to Katy's head wound, muttering to his co-worker about her condition.

Lucas put his head in his hands and tried to block out their words and the sound of the siren. The boat was his idea. If only...

"Son," one of the men began, sitting down opposite him, "You need to tell me what happened."

"We were waiting for her on the other side of the river; she said she'd bring the boat over. I didn't think there'd be any problem, Katy's driven Keith's boat before," Lucas said, staring blankly at the wall opposite him. "She tripped or something, I can't really remember. Then the boat hit something, a rock it must have been, as it pulled up to the pier. It knocked her to the floor again, then it hit the wall. The boat started falling apart and we tried to get her off, tried to stop the engine. But the boom swung across and knocked her out..."

The paramedic nodded. "Okay, we can't say much at the moment. We'll know more when she's stable in the hospital. Just relax, you did all you could," he said, trying to be reassuring but failing miserably.

The sound of the sirens drowned the cries of the girls as Nathan watched the ambulance drive away. He closed his eyes for a minute, overcome with emotion and fear, before turning back to the remainders of the group.

"Peyton," He said, addressing her as he put a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay to drive? Luc's only got a two-seater."

Peyton nodded, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath trying to compose herself. "I'll take Brooke and Haley, you guys take Luc's car," she said, her voice uneasy. "C'mon." She took Brooke's hand from Mouth and pulled her away from the river's edge and back towards the field.

Mouth followed the girls, unable to speak and still in shock. Haley stared out at the wreckage of the boat, tears drying stale on her cheeks. "Luc and Katy loved that boat," she said, her voice trembling.

Nathan watched her as she gazed captivated over at the remainders of the boat. Forgetting his anger and beaten by sorrow, he walked forwards and slipped his damp hand into her warm, soft one. "Come on, everyone's waiting," he said quietly, pulling her gently away from the scene.

He wanted to tell her everything would be okay. He wanted to reassure his wife that Katy would make a full recovery, but the doubt in his heart was dark and deep.


	3. Chapter 3

3 – The Recovery

"Lucas!" Nathan called as he spotted his brother and ran down the hospital corridor towards him. "Where is she?" The two brothers embraced, forgetting their differences for the moment.

"She's in the treatment room. She's out cold, I don't know what's going on," Lucas said, resuming his seat on the wall. "Where are Brooke and Haley?"

"Peyton's driving them, I took Mouth in your car; he's just ringing them to find out where they are." Nathan sat down beside him and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. It was only just after two o'clock and already he felt drained. The boys sat in silence, neither one able or willing to search for words of comfort or reassurance.

Mouth walked briskly down the gloomy hospital hallway, the three girls hurrying along behind him. They spotted Nathan and Lucas and sped over to them, eager for any news on Katy's condition.

"How is she?" Brooke asked first. She'd calmed down on the car journey over; her tears had subsided but she was still pale with worry.

"I don't know, she's in there being treated," Lucas explained, lifting a hand and pointing at the double doors opposite them. He looked over at the girls, each of who looked shaken and weak. He patted the empty chair beside him and Haley sank down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"She'll be okay," Mouth said confidently, the only one ready to risk the uncertain. Brooke leaned in towards him and he put his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder in comfort.

Katy tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy. She tried to lift her hands to rub some life into them, but they too felt weak. Slowly, the rest of her body began to wake up. A strange tingling in her fingers and arms started and she gradually began to move them.

A large, sore pain throbbed in the left side of her head. She inhaled deeply and winced, struggling with the fierceness of the pain.

She opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings, slightly confused. The wall opposite her held a light turquoise door with a glass window. The walls of the small room were decorated in a neutral blue colour.

Katy was led on an uncomfortable hospital bed, with a small, quietly beeping, machine next to her. She tried to move her head to get a closer look at the machine, and realised her head was heavily bandaged.

A small window to the left of the room shone with the early morning sunshine. Completely unaware of the time or date, Katy tried to sit up.

She noticed two chairs in the corner of the room; one empty and one occupied by a sleeping person. Lucas was slouched in the rigid hospital chair, his head laid back against the wall and a book slipping out of his hands. Katy smiled as she watched him sleep peacefully.

The hospital door snapped open as a male nurse entered, carrying a clipboard and a tray of food. He was wearing the typical nursing robe and had dark hair and blue eyes.

"Ahh finally awake," he said, smiling kindly at her as he put the tray of food on her nightstand. "I've brought you food these last couple of days but you've been sleeping like a baby. Speaking of babies..." He nodded over at Lucas, "A friend of yours?"

"Yeah," Katy said, "How long have I been out?"

"Two days," the nurse said, reading his clipboard. "I'm Ben, by the way."

"Katy," she said, propping herself up.

"Yeah I know, I've been looking after you these last couple of days!"

"You're awake!" Lucas's voice said from its corner. He stood up and walked to Katy's bedside.

"I'll leave you guys to it. I'll be back later, Katy," Ben said, smiling at her before exiting the room.

"How are you feeling?" Lucas asked, looking nervously up at her.

"Okay, my head hurts like a bitch. What happened?" She said, raising a hand to touch the bandage on her head. "Last thing I remember was seeing the front of the boat crashing against the wall."

"Well the boom hit you on the side of the head, and you fell off the boat. So I got you out and you were unconscious and bleeding. We didn't know what to do," he said uneasily. "The other's are at home; it's really early."

"Wow, what day is it?" She asked, trying to regain some sense of date.

"Tuesday," Lucas said, picking up the tray from her nightstand, "You've been sleeping for two days, well sedated really. You should eat something. I'll ring everyone and let them know you're awake..."

He made to leave the room but Katy called him back. "Luc," she said softly. He turned back to face her, a pained expression on his face. She smiled lightly and shrugged, "Never mind."

Katy sighed and leant back in her bed, she didn't feel tired anymore, just weak. School was due to start in a couple of days and she hadn't seen enough of her friends since she'd got back from her vacation with Brooke, and it didn't help that she'd just slept for two whole summer days.

The door swung open half an hour later as Katy put her empty cup down on the tray. Brooke and Haley crept in with big smiles on their faces. Katy returned their smiles as she greeted them.

"It's a bit early for you two isn't it?" She said cheekily.

Haley opened her mouth in mock-shock and laughed, "What makes you think we wouldn't get out of bed to see our best girl?!"

Brooke bounced down onto the end of Katy's bed, "Exactly, even if it is half seven." She narrowed her eyes jokily as she picked at the bed sheets. "How are you?"

"I'm alright, can't wait to get out of here to be honest. The doctors say I had a deep wound on my head, as you can see by my new accessory." She pointed to the white dressing on her head and rolled her eyes.

"It's very you," Brooke said with a giggle, "But I can make it even better." She jumped down from the bed and walked to the window sill, where a large vase held beautiful flowers. She pulled a small red flower from the bouquet and returned to Katy's side, pulling a pin from her handbag. Brooke fastened the flower to the strapping and stood back with a grin, "Gorgeous."

"Hah, thanks Brooke," Katy said, touching the flower gently, "Who are they from?"

"Lucas," Haley said with a knowing smile. "He hasn't left your side, you know."

"Yeah, we would have stayed, but we needed our beauty sleep; well Haley did anyway," Brooke said smugly, winking at Haley.

"Anyway," Haley continued shaking her head, "He's eaten up with guilt. He thinks this is his fault..."

"What?! That's so stupid," Katy burst out.

"That's what I tried to tell him," Haley said, stroking Katy's hair. "He's outside with Peyton now."

Brooke withdrew a hairbrush from her handbag and handed it to Haley, "Phoenix, you need a makeover. The hospital look is not good for you!"

"That's a point, I haven't looked in a mirror yet."

"Trust me, you don't want to!"

The three girls giggled and Katy started to forget the traumas of past events. Moments later they were interrupted as the door opened once more. Ben walked in with another clipboard and smiled at Katy.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" he asked amusedly. Brooke and Haley looked up with innocent grins on their faces.

"No Ben, come on in. This is Brooke and Haley," Katy said, pointing to each of her friends in turn.

"Hello Doctor," Brooke said, pouting obviously in his direction.

"Nurse actually," Ben replied with a boyish grin, as Brooke raised a playful eyebrow. "Well it's not long now, the doctor will be in in about an hour to sign you off, and then you'll be able to get home."

"Fab, thanks Ben."

"No problem, I'm glad you're feeling better. Well, see you around, hopefully not in here too soon though!" he smiled, took the empty tray from Katy's side and left the girls alone again.

"He is gorgeous!" Brooke sighed, biting her lip. "How did you manage to sleep through two days with him?!"

"Well I guess the hole in the side of her head helped," Nathan's voice said from the doorway.

"Alright wise crack," Brooke said, "You're just jealous 'cause we think he's hotter than you! C'mon Haley, let's get some breakfast. We'll be back in a bit, Katy." Brooke gave Nathan a satisfied smirk before dragging Haley from the room.

Nathan dragged a chair up next to Katy's bed and sat down, smiling at her. "It's good to see you awake. I was here yesterday and you were hardly moving..." He said watching her adjusting her pillows.

"Yeah well, the doctors say I can go in a bit. They just need me to sign something," Katy said, smiling calmly. "Have I missed anything?"

"Nope, our lives have pretty much been on hold while you've been here," Nathan answered truthfully.

"I noticed. You and Luc are actually being talking, everyone must have realised something was wrong!" She laughed light-heartedly as he sneered at her.

"Well I can see you're back to your old self!" He said nudging her gently.

"Just about," Katy replied, trying to keep the deceit from her voice. She stared away from Nathan and out of the window. "I can't help feeling that this year is going to change everything. I mean, I'd hate to think the day of the accident was the last time we'll all be together. And even then everyone was forced together."

"Yeah and look how that turned out..." Nathan agreed quietly. "But don't worry about that now. How was your vacation? I missed you kiddo."

Katy returned to look at him and smiled. "It was good. It's always nice to get away from here for a while, just to forget everything."

"I know what you mean..."

Katy watched Nathan look down at his hands. "Have you spoken to Haley?"

He didn't reply immediately; Nathan knew Katy only wanted what was best for him and he wasn't about to argue with her when she had only just recovered.

"Yes," he said honestly, "But not about 'us', just about you. She was scared..."

Katy smiled inwardly. She knew he would never have been able to let Haley suffer without him. "Well no doubt when I'm out of this place everything will return to normal," she sighed. "I haven't even spoken to Peyton since I got back!"

"She's outside with Lucas and Mouth; I'll get her if you want?" Nathan asked, standing up.

"No," Katy said with a lazy smile, "It's okay. I miss just hanging out with you; it's never us two anymore."

"I know," Nathan said, sinking back into his chair, "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately, what with my parent's divorce and the fire, and Haley... I needed to get away for the summer."

"Yeah, how was High Flyers?" Katy asked, sitting up completely in her bed.

"Really good, gave me a chance to clear my head. I know I need to concentrate on this season's basketball championship if I want a scholarship next year," He said. "All part of the scary concept called our future..."

"I know, I can't believe this is our senior year..."

"Kate?" Peyton said, sticking her head around the door. "I heard you were up, you doing okay?" She entered and stood at the opposite side of the bed from Nathan, smiling at Katy.

"Wow, Peyton Sawyer up at half eight in the holidays, I must be special!" Katy joked, welcoming her friend. "I'm doing fine thanks. How've you been, it's been ages!"

"I know, I'm glad your back; this summer's been weird without you," she said as Nathan got up and squeezed Katy's shoulder before leaving them alone.

"Well I think my entry back into Tree Hill summer life is one I'd rather forget..."

"Yeah, me too. Don't you ever do that to us again!" Peyton said with a loud laugh, "At least you're better now, the doctor's just outside talking to Luc; he should be here in a minute."

Katy nodded. "So anything new with you? Any summer romances?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"No romances. But it turns out my Mom's alive."

Katy raised her eyebrows in confusion. "But..?"

"Oh, my biological mother, Ellie. She turned up a couple of weeks ago. Turns out I'm adopted!" She said with a bitter voice.

"Wow Peyton, that's crazy," Katy said, unsure how to react.

"Yeah well, everything in my life's pretty crazy at the moment!"

The door swung open and the doctor and Lucas came in.

"Okay Miss Phoenix, you're all ready to go. We'll need to take your stitches out in a couple of days, but we'll call you the night before to let you know," the doctor said, standing beside Peyton. "If you could just sign here this concludes your stay here."

Katy signed the forms with her elegant signature and thanked the doctor. Ben came back to the room once the doctor had left, carrying a bundle of Katy's things.

"Well this is everything you had on you; your clothes and jewellery. We dried them out, but you might want a new top before you leave, this one's stained in blood," Ben explained, putting the items at the end of her bed.

"Thanks Ben, you're a star," Katy said brightly.

"You too, missy." He shook Lucas's hand before leaving the room for good.

"Okay, well I'm gunna go find the others. See you on the outside," Peyton said, patting Katy on the head as she often did, and then leaving.

Katy swung her legs out of the bed and straightened the hospital nightgown that she was wearing.

"Here," Lucas said, taking off his dark hoody, "You can wear this instead of your shirt. I can't imagine you want to walk around with blood all over you."

Katy took the hoody and smiled, "Thanks Luc."

"I'll wait for you outside while you change," he said awkwardly, turning away from her.

"Lucas wait," she called, determined to say something this time. "You know, I don't blame you. This wasn't your fault... at all."

Lucas faced her once more, his eyes looking doubtful. "I don't believe that, and neither does Nathan..." He exited the room leaving Katy alone in shock.


	4. Chapter 4

4 – Returning and Remembering

Katy unlocked the door to her house and put the small carrier bag on the floor as she closed it behind her. She brushed the dirt from her bare feet onto the doormat before stepping out onto the cool laminated floor.

The flat she lived in was a small bungalow that her parents had bought for her when she decided to move to Tree Hill; a sort of peace offering as they had been the reason she'd decided to move. It had a large open living and kitchen room, a small bathroom and a medium sized bedroom.

Katy hadn't come back here since she'd returned from her summer vacation and had spent their first night back at Brooke's new place. She'd almost forgotten what the place looked like.

The living space and kitchen were decorated in a deep, warm red, with silver swirling stencils traced onto the wall. The kitchen had a few modern cupboards, a dishwasher, refrigerator and washing machine. A dining table was placed in the centre and a small bar separated it from the living space.

The living room had a TV, stereo, a couple of sofas and several pieces of gym equipment; an exercise bike, a treadmill and small weights. There were large windows lining the walls, filling the room with light and warming it on the summer's day. Katy's eyes were draw to the wall opposite her, the one holding the archway to the hallway leading to her room and the bathroom.

Last fall, she and the girl's had decorated Katy's new pad, each of them leaving their own mark on this wall. Each of their surnames were painted in elegant golden calligraphy; Phoenix, Davis, James and Sawyer. Next to each of their names, the girls had doodled their own image. Peyton had painted wings around her name and surrounded it in golden flames. Haley had drawn the music from the first bar of her song, twisting and swirling away from the words. Brooke had drawn hearts and asterisks surrounding hers and Katy had drawn a stick boy and girl beneath a small heart. Katy smiled at the wall as she walked deeper into her apartment, remembering the closeness of her and her friends last year.

Snapping back to reality, Katy stared down at her jeans. They were stiff and dry from the soaking they'd received a couple of days ago and she felt awkward and uncomfortable in them. She headed for her bedroom, undoing the button as she went.

Her room was unusual. One wall was covered in small paintings and doodles, a result of Peyton and her's boredom one rainy day, random photos of her and the gang, and pinned up sketches and pieces of material from all Brooke's failed designs. The wall was a shrine to her friendship with the girls; one she hadn't put together herself but had simply grown as their friendships had.

The rest of the room was a soft coffee colour, with cream borders and furniture. She had a small desk for her laptop, a full wall-length mirror wardrobe and a double bed. Unlike Brooke's bedroom, it was very simplistic, but that was the way Katy liked her life; though it rarely went that way.

Katy slid open the mirror doors on her wardrobe and pulled out some white linen trousers; changing quickly and throwing her jeans on the floor in the corner. She kicked the doors shut and returned to the living room.

There was a stream of rapid knocking on her front door, and she rolled her eyes. "It's open!" She called from the hallway before re-entering the room. Brooke and Haley threw open the door and skidded into the room, beaming at Katy.

"Yay! The bandage's gone," Haley said, putting her bag down on the bar and nodding in Katy's direction.

"Yeah, still hurts though," Katy reminded her. "What do you want anyway? I'm surprised you even knocked, Brooke usually just comes straight in!"

Brooke hissed at Katy as she leapt up onto a barstool and settled herself in. "We just wanted you to come over and see our new place!" She said chirpily.

"You guys have a new place?"

"Well, it's not exactly new. It's mine and Nathan's old place," Haley said, regret and remorse creeping into her voice. "Brooke's renting it now."

"And me, being the loving friend I am, said Haley could stay with me! It's the perfect party pad, with a few hot guys and some good tunes; this season's after-game parties are sorted!" Brooke said with satisfaction. "So come on, we need the Phoenix seal of approval, Sawyer's already helped with the makeover."

"Reluctantly though..." Haley muttered.

"What's going on with you two?" Katy asked, looking over at Haley.

"I dunno; we haven't spoken since I got back. I've left her tons of messages but she hasn't called me," She said shrugging. "Maybe she's being Nathan's protective... well, whatever she and Nathan are nowadays!"

"Don't worry, Hales," Katy said, "She's going through some stuff; I'm sure it's not you she's mad at."

"Well let's not sit around here moping," Brooke demanded, "Here's your cell, Kate. We rescued it from the wreck of the boat, it's working fine."

"Oh, I should have known you'd jump at a chance to snoop through my messages," Katy scoffed, rolling her eyes at Brooke. "Find anything interesting?"

"Ooh I don't know, just some old texts from Lucas," she said with a sly grin. "What's the deal with you two?"

"You'd better ask him that. Things were great before the summer started; just casual. Then I told him I was going on vacation and he said he'd meet me at the airport before we left. And he didn't show. Then I got a text from Peyton's phone; him apologising for missing it," Katy said, a slight bitterness entering her voice.

"Ouch," Haley said honestly. "Well you should have seen him while you were in hospital. I don't think I've ever seen him that worried; he never left you."

"Well, he's a boy; you know what they're like. Us girls have go to stick together!" Brooke said brightly, trying to lighten the mood. "C'mon, get some shoes; we're off."

The new apartment had definitely been 'Brooked'. Pink and purple decorations in the bedroom and a large French Riviera painting in the living room; a P. Sawyer creation. Katy, Brooke and Haley had been there for a couple of hours, lying on the sofas talking and eating ice cream.

"I missed this when I was away," Haley sighed suddenly.

"Yeah, I'll bet all that time with Chris Keller was a real blow," Brooke giggled, and was immediately hit with a pillow.

"I missed it too. Do you think there'll be much time for just hanging out this year?" Katy asked, still apprehensive about the school year that was about to start.

"Well we'll just have to make time!" Brooke announced. "Now as much as I would love to sit here and get fat with you two; I have an end-of-summer beach party to plan!"

"Fine," Katy said, putting down her bowl, "I'd better get back anyway, I need to unpack all my stuff." She picked up her summer suitcase which Brooke had left at the door for her and winked back at the new roommates. "See you later, bitches."

As Katy pulled up outside her house she spotted Nathan sat on her doorstep, a pineapple in his hand. She got out of the car and approached him with a puzzled look on her face.

"I understand what the pineapple's doing here, but why are you?" She said, frowning at him.

"Very funny, Bird," He said with a smirk. "I've been sat here for twenty minutes, you gunna let me in?"

Katy opened the door and they stepped into her warm living room. Katy dumped her suitcase beside the breakfast bar and opened her fridge. "I'd offer you a drink, but I don't have anything yet," she called over her shoulder.

"That's why I brought this," Nathan said, as she turned around, throwing the pineapple at her. "It's still your favourite, right?"

"Right," she agreed, catching the fruit just in time. "It's a good thing you're here; all I've eaten today is ice cream."

"And you've probably lived off Sangria while you were away," he added cheekily.

"That too," Katy smirked. "Thanks for getting my phone from the boat by the way. Brooke told me."

"No problem. How are you feeling about that?"

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest. My head still hurts, but I haven't had time to think about it; Brooke's kept me busy," Katy said with a grateful smile. "I feel really bad about your uncle's boat, though."

Nathan shook his head in distaste. "Don't think like that. Lucas should never have let you on the stupid thing on your own in the first place."

Katy ceased chopping the pineapple and stared over at her best friend. "Don't be an idiot Nathan. Nothing would have stopped me getting on that boat; you know how much I love it... loved it."

"I just don't know what I'd would've done to him if you-"

"Don't," Katy said bluntly, stopping him before he could finish speaking. "Nathan, this isn't his fault. We're not having this conversation again." Katy and Nathan were renowned for having the most argumentative friendship; and they never shied away from it. However this was not one topic Katy was willing to drag out.

She served up the pineapple and the two returned to their normal selves, discussing in detail their summer trips. Katy decided it was best not to pester Nathan about his feelings for Haley, so she stuck to light-hearted conversation.

As the afternoon wore on, Nathan stayed and helped Katy unpack and wash her holiday luggage.

"How did you manage to squash all of this into one case?" He asked in amazement putting the last set of clothes into the washer.

"It's one of my many skills," Katy said putting the milk and other food Nathan had brought over into the refrigerator.

"I wouldn't really call it a skill," He muttered as they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Katy opened the door to a middle-aged man, dressed in dark blue overalls, his van parked outside. "Phoenix?" He asked, consulting the papers he held in his hand.

"Yeah that's me," Katy replied, puzzled.

"Delivery for you. The crates are in the truck," the man replied in a bored voice, showing his unwillingness to unload them himself.

"Delivery of what?"

"Beer. Here's the forms," the man said, thrusting the paper at her. "You need to sign it."

"I'll help you unload," Nathan said with a smirk, joining Katy at the door and following the man back to the van.

Katy looked down at the paper and read the note attached, _"Hope this helps you through your recovery, Mom & Dad." _Katy rolled her eyes and signed the papers angrily.

The delivery man placed the third crate on her doorstep and held his hand out. Katy handed him back the forms and a five dollar bill for his help. "Thanks," he said ungratefully as he returned to his truck.

Katy glared after him and lifted up one of the boxes, taking it into her flat and setting it down on the bar. She took off the lid and pulled out one of the bottles, observing the label. Her dad owned the largest brewery in the state and they were thus considerably well-off. She began to put the bottles of Phoenix Kriek into the refrigerator and waited for Nathan to arrive with the last boxes.

Once she'd finished emptying the crates she had, she went to the door to see what was taking Nathan so long. Nathan was standing with the final crate in his arms, speaking to Lucas, 

contempt spitting from his voice. Lucas had a small bunch of sunflowers in one hand and was shaking his head angrily at Nathan.

Katy stepped slightly back from the door so she couldn't be seen and listened to the two boys arguing.

"...she loves you Nathan!" Lucas said exasperatedly.

"Oh, and that's supposed to make everything all right?!"

"Yeah, it is! Why can't you just give her another chance?"

"She had her chance..." Nathan glared at him. "I can't believe you're lecturing me, after the way you've treated Katy."

"Don't you think I feel really bad about what happened at the river?! I'd take it all back if I could," Lucas cried.

"You know, we're not brothers anymore. We're not even friends." Nathan shoved the beer crate into Lucas's chest and stormed away from the house without a backwards glance.

Katy came to the door and stared over at Lucas as he walked towards her. "What was that?" she asked, as Nathan began disappeared around the corner.

"Just Nathan being a jerk," Lucas muttered, "I came over to welcome you home, but he had to say his piece first."

Katy sighed, "Come in then."

Lucas set put the box down and handed her the flowers, returning to his usual self with a smile. "You look well," he said, sitting down on a stool.

"You don't look to bad yourself. These are gorgeous," she said, pulling an empty vase from a cupboard and filling it with water. "My second bunch in a week, I'm impressed!"

Lucas looked down awkwardly, "Well I still feel awful."

"Luc, don't. I told you it's not your fault!" She said kindly. "Now, how about a beer?"

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Beer? Jeez, you've only just got back from holiday and you're already settled in!"

"A gift from my loving parents," Katy said, opening the box on the counter and handing him a bottle. "A sort of 'glad you didn't die' peace offering. But I'm not complaining!"

Lucas laughed as he opened his and watched Katy arrange her flowers. When Katy began to drink her own bottle Lucas set his down, preparing to talk.

"Look, since you've been in the hospital I've been thinking," he said, his voice surprisingly confident. "I need to apologise for what happened before you went away. I should have been there; at the airport."

Katy continued to sip at her beer in silence, watching Lucas with a blank expression as he spoke. He paused briefly and inhaled heavily.

"But Peyton needed me-"

Katy scoffed loudly into her drink. "Right, _Peyton_ needed you," she said sarcastically.

Lucas looked slightly hurt, but pressed on. "Her biological mom had just turned up and-"

"I needed you Luc," Katy cut in, chucking her empty bottle in the trash can. "We spent two amazing weeks together before the summer; non-exclusive but right. Then I ask you to meet me at the airport for what, five minutes? And you were with Peyton!"

Lucas put his bottle gently down on the bar. "Katy I'm sorry, I don't know what else to say."

"Right, well if that's it then you'd better get going. I'm sure Peyton will be needing you!" Katy snapped, turning away from him and pretending to busy herself at the sink.

Lucas was reluctant to leave, but Katy was clearly not ready to talk. "Bye," he said quietly, standing up and leaving her alone once more.

As he closed the door behind him, Katy threw down the cloth violently into the sink and smacked her hands down on the worktops. _That couldn't have gone worse,_ Katy thought to herself. She emptied the last crate of beers, rerunning over the conversation in her mind, crushing the cardboard into the trash with a sense of release.


	5. Chapter 5

5 – Party Preparations

"What an excuse!" Brooke said, appalled by what Katy had told her. "He said he needed to be with Peyton? Wow, boys are so dumb!"

Katy lay back on her sofa as she held the phone to her ear, her arm aching after twenty minutes on the phone with her friend. "I know. How does he never see that spending time with Peyton over a possible girlfriend is suicide?" Katy said frustratedly.

"Yeah well, that's Peyton. Anyway," Brooke said, in an attempt to cheer her up, "It's the end of summer beach party tomorrow night, you want to help me set up?"

"I dunno Brooke. I'm having my stitches out the day after so I don't know if I should go," Katy said, sub-consciously tracing the sore patch on her head.

"Don't be stupid!" Brooke protested, "You have to come! Maybe you'll meet some cute guy there and make Lucas _really_ jealous."

"Brooke, you know I don't like doing that."

"But it works," she said slyly. "Fine, if you don't want to go for Lucas, then go for yourself. You deserve to relax and party after the week you've had so far! We can spend time with Haley and Peyton; well only if you want to. It'll give us a chance to catch up with everything we missed over the summer! Please come, girlie."

"Alright, and I'll help you set up. But I'm doing this for me; it's better that you keep me busy," Katy sighed, giving in. "Well I'm gunna go; it's getting late and I haven't had a shower since I got back from the hospital."

"Ew, that's gross," Brooke cringed. "Okay, love yah stinky." She hung up the phone and Katy stretched the cramp out of her arm, pocketing her cell.

Katy went to the small bathroom and pulled a clean towel from the unit. She placed it on the radiator and turned to face the shower. She hadn't confronted the water since the boat crash as she was feeling nervous.

Carefully she put her hand inside the glass cubicle and turned it on. She stepped back and closed the door. She watched as the water slid down the walls of the shower and her ears strained against the crashing of the water.

Katy crouched on the floor of the bathroom and stared at the shower; the sound of the water enveloping her. She pulled her legs in towards her body and hugged her knees. Feeling stupidly weak she watched individual droplets sliding down the glass partition.

Katy slipped her hand into her pocket. She had forgotten she was still wearing Lucas's hoody, but it was so comfortable. Her hands gripped her cell phone and she withdrew it. She flicked down her contacts list, trying to decide who to call.

She scrolled past Brooke, Haley, Lucas, and finally settled on the only person she needed right now. She pushed the dial button and tried to control her voice. "Nathan..." She said weakly, her voice shaking.

"I'll be right over, don't move."

Five minutes later Nathan opened Katy's front door and slipped inside. "Katy?" he called, looking around the empty room. He put his dad's car keys on the bar and continued through to the hallway. He heard the sound of the shower and headed for the bathroom.

He slid down the wall and sat down beside Katy. She didn't look up or acknowledge his arrival; she simply stared transfixed at the shower. Nathan, knowing words wouldn't help, put his arm around Katy's huddled figure and squeezed her shoulder gently.

Slowly, she leaned in towards him and buried her head in his side, silent tears escaping her eyes. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself as she sobbed in Nathan's arms.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, "I know it freaks you out when I cry." She wiped away her tears and straightened herself up.

"Don't be silly," he replied kindly, "It'll take you some time to adjust. It's natural..."

"It's stupid, is what it is. I can't even have a shower without needing someone to hold my hand!" She said, angry with herself.

"Well I'm right here."

"Don't worry," Katy said, laughing slightly, "You don't need to sit here while I shower! Just hang in the other room. Just in case..."

Nathan smiled. "Of course, just give me a shout." He got to his feet and held a hand out for Katy, pulling her up after him.

"Thank you Nathan," Katy said as he made to leave the room. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know, just remember that next time you bully me about Haley." He grinned playfully and Katy hit him with the towel as he leapt out the door.

Twenty minutes later Katy was dressed in baggy sweatpants and a strappy top, towel drying her hair as she returned to Nathan in the living room.

"It wasn't that difficult," she said as she settled herself onto the sofa beside him. "Just hearing the crashing water. It reminded me how unsafe I felt on the boat..."

"Well this'll be our secret, Bird," he said, nudging her gently.

Nathan was the only one to have ever given Katy a nickname; and _Bird_ was his chosen one. The girls tended to call each other by their last names so Nathan had drawn his nickname from Katy's; Phoenix.

"Thanks Nath. Well I think I'll be okay for the night, unless you'd rather stay here than go home?" She said eager to repay his kindness.

"It's not a bad idea," Nathan said, his voice losing its happy edge. "Dad's been pissed ever since the fire; he's hardly ever home. And Mom's just putting up with him until the divorce is final. But they're driving me mad; they're always beating at each other. I had to take Dad's car to get away from them; he won't like that."

"As much as I love your Mom, Nathan," Katy began uneasily, "Your dad is a jackass! I don't know why you put up with him."

"Well, he's my Dad," Nathan said, shrugging. "I can't just shut him out. He's done so much for me, and as much as I hate to admit it; I need him in my life."

"Yeah well, you know you can always stay here if home gets too stressful. This sofa is very comfy," she smirked. "So are you coming to the beach party tomorrow night?"

"I dunno," Nathan sighed, "It'll just mean bumping in to Haley and giving Lucas another chance to yell at me."

"This is normally where I would lecture you about your relationship with Haley, but I feel drained enough as it is. Listen, I didn't want to go either," Katy admitted, "But Brooke said I couldn't let Lucas and Peyton control my life."

"Lucas and Peyton?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh right, you don't know. Basically before I went away with Brooke, Luc blew me off for Peyton; didn't say goodbye or anything. Then he came round earlier and tried to justify it... I dunno, he's just clueless sometimes."

"You could do a lot better than Lucas," Nathan said, keeping his suspicions about Lucas and Peyton's summer to himself. "Fine, I'll go; but only because I don't want you to have another breakdown near the water!"

"Oi! Watch it you," Katy said, whacking him with a pillow. "Well that's settled then. I'll pick you up; because something tells me your dad won't be letting you borrow his car for a while."

"You're probably right. Okay then, I'll get going. See you tomorrow." Nathan and Katy stood up and hugged tightly. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Nathan smiled at her, then left for home, glad he was able to help Katy through part of her ordeal.

At seven o'clock the next evening, Katy was stood on the front porch of Nathan's house. She'd been waiting for several minutes before the door finally opened, revealing a person Katy would rather have not seen.

"Hey Peyton... No Haley. Wait, it's Katy," Dan Scott said, squinting his eyes in fake confusion and scratching his head. "That's right, Katy's on Thursdays! Well don't let me stop you; come on in. It's twenty bucks for the whole night, right? Nathan's waiting for you upstairs..."

Katy ignored the older man's crude comments and smiled sweetly at him. "NATHAN!" She yelled into his dad's face, calling through the house for him. Loud footsteps crashing down a nearby staircase signalled Nathan's arrival.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Nathan said, appearing at the doorway. He gave his father a perplexed glance, "What are you doing, Dad?"

"Nothing Nathan, I was just greeting this charming lady," Dan replied with a smirk. "You kids have fun."

"We will thank you... _Mr Scott,_" Katy replied sarcastically, as Nathan stepped to her side. She turned on her heels and the two of them stalked away from him.

"Sorry about him," Nathan apologised immediately. "I didn't hear the bell."

"Sorry about what? I find him quite charming," she replied with a shrill laugh.

"Oh God," Nathan said, spotting Katy's car, "You're not still driving that thing are you?!"

For her seventeenth birthday Katy's parents had said she could have a car; and they'd let her pick. So naturally she had picked the most bizarre car she could find. It was a large jeep with a camouflage paintjob and was two times the size of her. Everyone had joked about it for weeks after she got it, and apparently it was still the cause of amusement.

"Shut up you," Katy said, climbing into the driver's seat, "or you'll be walking! I'm glad you've decided to come; we can mope together."

They parked at the top of the beach and Katy spotted Peyton's car already there. They walked down the beach towards the chairs, candles and flags that had been erected for the occasion and joined the growing crowd of people.

Brooke spotted the pair and came rushing over. "About time!" She yelped, slapping Katy gently on the arm, "You're pretty much the last two to arrive. I've been waiting to light the fire!"

"Ouch, well we're here now so burn away," Katy said, rolling her eyes as Brooke glared at her.

"You got it, Phoenix," she winked, before pushing through the crowd of people to the centre. A large bonfire had been created with wood and bordered with pebbles and Brooke stood beside it, waiting for quiet.

"Here we go," Nathan muttered, turning around and walking away from the pyre.

"What- Nathan?!" Katy said, staring over towards the bonfire. Catching on, Katy spotted Haley and Lucas stood the opposite side of the beacon. She turned away from them and followed Nathan. "You can't leave already!"

"I'm not leaving," he said, slowing down and letting Katy catch up, "I'm just not ready to listen to another speech about fresh starts and second chances."

Katy walked silently beside him along the seafront away from the party. "Nathan, tonight isn't about fresh starts," she said eventually, "It's about the end of our last summer. It's more of a goodbye than it is a beginning."

The two stopped and perched themselves on a seaside wall with a view of the now burning bonfire and the sea beside them. Nathan looked straight forwards at the water and Katy watched the party start. Slow music began to blast from speakers and the laughter and jeers of the crowd floated their way.

"Fine, let's get a drink then," Nathan said reluctantly getting to his feet once more.

Katy smiled as he escorted her back to the party and she tried to lighten the mood. "Well I think this party's a great idea. Keeping our summer flame burning all night; it's kind of ceremonious."

"Yeah," Nathan said distantly as they rejoined the groups of people and headed towards a table of drinks. He picked up two plastic red cups and handed one to Katy. "Well, here's to the end of summer... and a fresh start."

Katy smiled and tapped her cup with Nathan's. "Fresh starts," she agreed, looking over his shoulder at Lucas, who was walking away from Brooke and Haley. "Listen, I'm going to see Haley and Brooke, you can come, or stay here?" She said after a mouthful of Brooke's strongest punch.

"Maybe I'll go find Mouth," he said, still determined to stay away from Haley.

Katy nodded and moved around the fire towards her friends, who spotted her and waved her over. "Hey girls," she said, stopping beside them. "Good turnout Brooke."

"I know, right? Like my speech?" She asked with a smug smile.

"Actually I didn't catch it," Katy said, looking at Haley, "Nathan's here."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Do you think I should find him?" She asked desperately.

"No offence Hales, but I'd wait for him to come to you. He's in a funky mood tonight," Katy advised as kindly as she could.

"He's always in a funny mood," Haley said glumly. "I'm going to get a drink..." She walked off towards the drinks table beside Peyton's mixing decks.

"They're gunna be okay, right?" Brooke asked nervously, "Nathan and Haley?"

"I don't know, Brooke. Maybe things will get easier when we're all back to school," Katy sighed.

"So," Brooke said, regaining her edge, "How's mission make-Lucas-jealous going? Seen any possible candidates?"

"I told you that's not why I'm here Brooke," Katy said, nudging her friend. "But it looks like Luc's over it already..." The two girls looked over at Peyton's DJ spot and saw her laughing happily with Lucas.

Brooke grabbed Katy and turned her in the opposite direction. "Forget about him; tonight is about you and me and all these hot beach boys!" The two girls giggled as they walked away from the fire in search of a boy or two.

Katy and Brooke had been with a group of five guys for twenty minutes when the first proposal was made. "So girls, are you ready to end this summer in style?" A boy called Joe asked.

Brooke grinned cheekily, "Well that depends what you have in mind. Personally I'm feeling a bit too hot and could use a swim."

The group smirked and winked at each other. "Skinny dipping it is then!"

Katy rolled her eyes and turned to Brooke. "You go," she said with a smile, "I'm not leaving these shorts on the beach for some weirdo to pinch! They took me four weeks to find!"

Brooke raised an eyebrow, "You sure? That's not just some awful Katy Phoenix excuse?"

"I'm sure, have fun boys!" She called as they dragged Brooke down towards the sea.

Katy walked back towards her car, preparing to leave, when she bumped straight into an oncoming person. "Sorry," she said absent-mindedly, brushing the stranger aside.

"Katy?" A familiar yet unplaceable voice asked. She looked up properly at the person's face and smiled.

"Ben!" She said happily, "Sorry, didn't see you. What are you doing down here?"

"My cousin's a senior at Tree Hill High and he said I should come along. I had nothing better to do, to be honest," he said shrugging truthfully.

Katy smiled and looked back towards the party. "Come on then, I'll show you where the drinks are! I didn't recognise you out of your work uniform," she said, now noticing the cute guy Brooke had spotted beneath the nurse's overalls.

"I hate those things; blue is not my colour," Ben smirked. He was wearing long board shorts and a white t-shirt, topped off with a beaded necklace.

Katy smiled as she handed him a drink and picked up a second for herself. "You're looking good," he said after his first sip. "Well, healthy-good..!" He grinned humorously as he looked around, slightly embarrassed.

"Hah, thanks," Katy said, feeling strangely comfortable in his company. "I guess you're not working tomorrow then?"

"Nope, I'm part time," he explained, "What a really want to be doing is writing. I do part time journalism for the paper. It's not ideal; I want to write a book eventually. But hey, it pays the bills!"

"Wow, that's amazing," Katy said, "Have you started anything yet?"

"I've done a couple of short stories, nothing amazing. But I'm working on a romance story at the moment. Nothing soppy! Just uni students finding their way, sort of thing..."

Katy smiled encouragingly at him. "Well I'll look out for it; I'm sure you'll have a best seller one day."

Ben opened his mouth to reply, when Brooke came bounding over, wrapped in nothing but a towel. "The waters gorgeous Katy," she said, not spotting Ben. "Oh, hey doctor," she smirked. "It's good to see you out of that uniform..."

Katy smirked as Brooke settled herself in beside him and turned on her charm. Ben winked at Brooke and looked her up and down, "Well it's good to see you in..." he said provocatively.

Katy turned to walk away and leant in towards Brooke and whispered, "I'll leave you to it then." Brooke giggled and Katy smiled as she picked up another drink and left Brooke to have her fun.

Katy spotted Haley sat alone by the fire and snuggled in beside her, resting her head on her shoulder. "Hello muffin," she said quietly as Haley looked round at her.

"Hey," she replied quietly.

"No Nathan yet?"

"Nope, I think he's gone home," Haley said staring into the flames.

"Hey Haley! Play your song!" Tim's voice called from across the fire.

"Beat it Tim," Katy said, sitting up straight and shaking her head at him as he rushed over.

"Look, the stars are blue! Sing your song!" He began to brandish a guitar in the girls' faces as a small crowd assembled around them. A figure pushed through the crowd and ripped the guitar from his hands and launched it into the blaze.

Tim fell silent as Nathan stormed away, leaving an empty path behind him. "Go," Katy whispered to Haley, giving her a small push of encouragement as she made to follow Nathan.

Alone once more, Katy decided she'd better hang around for Haley so she set off to find Peyton.

"Sup Sawyer," Katy said, putting her hands over Peyton's eyes from behind her.

"Hey Kate," she said pulling her around to face her. "How are you doing? Sorry I haven't been over to see you. Ellie stuff..."

"Right, is that the explanation for all this interesting music?" Katy smirked, looking down at Peyton's selection of records. "This is more like is!" She pulled out an old Beachboys album and handed it over. "Come on, missy."

Peyton scowled light-heartedly as she put the record on and the summer music began to soar. Applause and cheering scattered across the beach as people began to dance along to the new genre of tunes.

"Much better," Katy said, putting her arm around Peyton's shoulders, "Now we just need you to smile and everything will be back to normal!"

Peyton burst into a cheesy grin and Katy laughed happily, for the first time in a while. Peyton's smile stiffened as someone approached over Katy's shoulder. Katy glanced around to see who it was and Lucas smiled nervously at her.

Katy turned back to Peyton and gnashed her teeth anxiously. "Katy, can we talk?" Lucas asked, his voice coming from close behind her. She nodded and turned away from Peyton, allowing herself to be led away from her.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes until the sound of the music had softened and only the stars were lighting the beach around them. Lucas placed a hand on Katy's shoulder and pulled her to a halt.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, dropping his hand from her shoulder. "I'm sorry for being an idiot yesterday, I'm sorry for missing you at the airport, I'm sorry for leaving you on the boat on your own and I'm sorry for almost getting you killed."

Katy opened her mouth to interrupt, but he held up a hand to silence her. "But what I'm not sorry for is being here, now. I'm not sorry for being here, with you, and trying to make you understand that you're the one." Lucas smiled freely and held his hands up in surrender. "You're the one for me, Katy. You and everything that goes with you..."

Katy stared at him, words failing her. He took a step forwards and his gorgeous smile spread further across his face. "You're the one for me..."

Slowly, Katy reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, their two bodies pulling closer together. She shut her eyes and inhaled Lucas's musky smell as she felt his warm breath on her cheek. Their lips touched gently and his hands smoothed down her back, holding her close to him.

Lucas's teeth bit down softly on Katy's bottom lip as he finally pulled away from her. He opened his eyes and grinned at her now smiling face as he tweaked her nose. The two embraced again, Lucas lifting Katy up into his arms and spinning her around slowly as her hands brushed through his short hair.

A loud wolf-whistle from somewhere nearby dragged the two apart, as Brooke came sauntering from the sea with Ben and a couple more drinks. Katy laughed softly as Lucas's arm found its way around her waist and pulled her up next to him.

"It's time to live every day as our last," Katy said, looking up into his eyes. "You've got me Lucas Scott; I'm yours."

Lucas brushed the hair back from Katy's face before the two of them headed towards Brooke and her new catch. "Hey Brooke?" He said tranquilly. "Enjoying your night?"

"Never mind me... You two?!" She squealed, smirking at the new partnership. "This year is going to rock!"

Lucas squeezed Katy's side and nodded, "Yeah, something tells me it's not going to be too bad."


	6. Chapter 6

6 – The Fresh Start

Katy pressed the horn of her car once more in impatience. The door of Brooke's apartment swung open and she and Haley walked as slowly as possible from the house, allowing Katy's aggravation to grow.

Katy rolled her eyes as they finally reached the car and Brooke climbed into the front seat, leaving Haley with the back. Brooke immediately pulled out a compact mirror and began to recheck her hair for the ninth time that morning.

"I've been out here for ten minutes you know!" Katy said, rolling her car forwards down the road.

"Oh, was that you beeping?" Brooke asked sarcastically. "Relax, Phoenix, it's only the first day; everyone will be late!"

"No Brooke, everyone will be early!" Haley said, running an anxious hand through her hair. "I was supposed to get there early and check into the tutor centre but I won't make it now. Thanks to someone..."

Brooke snapped the compact closed and fluttered her eyelashes. "First days of school call for perfection, girl. You'd think you'd have learnt that by now."

Katy flicked the CD player on and Fall Out Boy screamed loudly, making her swerve the car in surprise. Brooke winced and fiddled with the controls and turned the music down whilst looking for a new CD.

"You need some more tunes, Katy," she said disapprovingly, dropping the cases back into the glove compartment.

"What would you prefer Brooke... Beyonce?" Katy asked sardonically, racing through an amber light. "Anyway, we're nearly there."

The traffic thickened slightly as they approached the school; most of the cars heading in the same direction. Katy drummed her fingers frustratedly on the wheel as she waited for a mother to let her kids out of the car before she could move out of Katy's way.

Katy sped the car through down the ten mile per hour school zone and shot into an empty parking space. She turned the engine off and smiled back at Haley. "You might just make the tutor centre," she said brightly.

"I should stop underestimating this car," Haley said, jumping down from the huge jeep and dragging her bag with her.

"It might get us to school on time, but I still refuse to turn up to any parties in it!" Brooke grumbled, sliding gracefully from the car with a flick of her hair.

"Whatever your majesty," Katy sighed, locking the doors behind them, "Let's find our lockers; I said I'd meet Lucas at his."

"How's that going, by the way?" Haley asked as they headed towards the entrance.

"Amazing," Katy said with a big smile, "It's better than it was before the summer..."

"He told me you spent most of the last couple of days together?"

Katy nodded in silent agreement, remembering the previous day; a picnic on the beach and a moonlight walk.

"Details please!" Brooke demanded with a cunning grin. Haley gagged falsely as the two girls exchanged winks. "Okay, maybe later. Before miss righteous hurls!"

The girls entered the high school, the familiar surroundings enveloping them and the weight of school pressing down on them once more. Brooke broke away from the others and went to put her jacket in her locker, and Haley and Katy continued down a hallway towards their lockers.

"Okay, I'm P it should be down this end," Katy said, leading Haley to the left end of the corridor. "I'm just going to dump my biology books then we can head over to yours."

"Well I'm in no rush," Haley said, "I'm down as Haley James Scott, so I'll be by Nathan."

"That could be interesting," Katy agreed, opening her locker and emptying some of her bag into it. "How'd it go with you two at the beach? I never got round to asking..."

"Not great," Haley said, leaning on a nearby locker, "I told him I loved him and he said he's not ready. I dunno..."

Katy shut her locker once more and put her arm around Haley's shoulder. "Don't you fret, girlie. He'll come round, he just needs time," she said reassuringly, steering Haley down towards the other end of the hall.

They stopped beside Haley's locker and a small crowd of girls stared over at them smirking between each other. "What is their problem?" Haley said angrily, turning her back on the girls and addressing her locker.

"Ignore them Hales," Katy said loudly, glaring back at the girls, "They're pathetic." The girls scoffed and moved away from them, leaving them to talk freely. "At least Nathan's not here..."

Cold hands clasped themselves gently over Katy's eyes and she smiled, recognising them immediately. She pinched one lightly and Lucas's hands retracted straight away, allowing her to turn and face him.

"Ow," he said simply, still with a boyish grin on his face. Katy kissed his cheek lightly and slipped her hand into his. "Much better..."

"Oh God," Haley groaned, shutting her locker door and rolling her eyes at the pair.

"Nice to see you two, Hales," Lucas replied, "Ready for our predictions later?"

"No, I know what I want to happen this year, but I think that chances of that are impossible," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"Come on Haley, I can't have you moping around on the first day!" Katy said, trying to cheer her up. "You should be happy! This is like your favourite place..."

Haley laughed, "Not really. Anyway, we'll be late for-"

The locker door behind them slammed shut and they all turned around to stare at the culprit. Nathan looked back at them with an unreadable expression on his face. "You should have used your stage name," he said bluntly to Haley, before storming off towards his first class.

Haley groaned and leant back on her locker and banged her head against it. Lucas leant forward and pulled her away from it, stopping the noise that was attracting a lot of attention.

"C'mon, let's get to class," He said wisely, guiding the girls towards the door.

Katy doodled on the corner of her calculus book for the entire period while the teacher droned on about how important this final year would be. When the bell finally rang, Brooke elbowed her waking her from her daydream and the two of them grabbed their bags and raced out for lunch.

"This morning has gone so slowly," Katy complained, shouldering her bag as they stepped out into the sunny courtyard. "I wanna go home already."

"I know! I want the weekend already," Brooke said as they settled themselves at a table in the sunshine. "Did you hear about the masquerade party at TRIC?" She pulled a leaflet from her bag and handed it to Katy.

"Nice," Katy said happily, "We'd better get thinking about costumes!"

"I've already got an idea," Brooke said, smiling sneakily. "Uh oh here comes trouble..."

Katy followed her gaze and saw Nathan and Peyton, Lucas and Haley in a standoff; the two pairs glaring silently at each other. Katy watched as Haley looked nervously at the ground while Lucas and Nathan stared at each other with malice. Haley spotted Katy and Brooke and headed straight over; eager to escape the awkwardness.

"Sit," Katy said, pulling Haley into the seat next to her, "Now ignore."

"This day sucks," she said, turning away from Nathan and Peyton as they stalked away together. "I got detention from Whitey earlier too!"

"Detention?" Brooke smirked, "Haley James I'm shocked! How did you get detention?!"

"I went to see Whitey about Nathan and he said I shouldn't be in the boys' locker room or something," Haley sighed.

"Nice, boys' locker room!" Brooke grinned, "That's one thing worth getting detention for."

Later that evening Katy was running on her treadmill, trying to burn off all the holiday weight she'd put on. After half an hour's solid workout she decided it was time for a break and went to the refrigerator in search of a drink. Still full of her parent's beers, she closed it once more with a carton of OJ in her hand.

She went to her bedroom and changed out of her running gear and into linen trousers and a red top. She picked up her cell phone and dialled for Lucas, waiting patiently for him to pick up.

"Hey you," he said, the sound of his voice slightly fuzzy through bad reception.

"You busy?" Katy asked, "Cause I've just finished my daily workout and I'm sure you could use yours."

Lucas laughed down the phone, "I would love to... But I can't; I'm about to go over and make my predictions with Haley, then I have to see Peyton about Ellie." His voice sounded sincerely apologetic as he spoke again, "I'm sorry babe; if it's not too late I'll pop over when I'm done?"

"Sure," Katy said, hiding her frustration, "I've got no plans so come over whenever."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Katy hung up the phone and rolled her eyes. She knew Lucas was with her now, but she couldn't help feeling bothered and insecure about him spending time with Peyton. She grabbed her car keys and left the house ready to find someone else to occupy her. Katy dialled Brooke's number on her cell as she got into the car.

"Phoenix, what's up?"

"Hey Brooke, I thought we could brainstorm ideas for Saturday?"

"Not tonight, I'm now officially a working girl," Brooke said, her voice bright with happiness.

"No way! Where?"

"Suburban Filth; I'm hoping it will help with my fashion career."

"Okay, let down. I'll see you tomorrow, am I picking you and Hales up again?"

"Yep, peace out girlfriend." The line ran dead as Brooke ended the call and Katy turned the engine on with one last hope.

Minutes later she pulled up by the Riverside Court and jumped out of her car and walked over to the court. Her predictions had been right and Nathan was alone with a basketball practising his jump shot.

"Boo!" Katy shouted as she came up behind him, making him over throw the shot completely. "You won't win state with a shot like that."

Nathan turned and smiled at her. "Well at least I won't have you on the opposite team; anyone else I can handle! Unless you distract me from you cheerleader spot."

"Hmm," Katy said, going to collect the ball for him. "I don't know whether I want to cheer this year; I only did it last year 'cause Brooke said it would help me settle in."

"Ohh, that'd be weird; I'm kind of used to seeing you up there," Nathan said, catching the ball and dribbling it around her. "But to be honest, I can't see Brooke letting you quit; she loves that squad."

"I know, it's quite sad really! Anyway, everyone's busy tonight so it looks like I'm stuck with you," she said with a smirk. "So do you want to take me for a coffee or am I going to have to sit here and watch you do this all night?"

Nathan shot for the final time and the ball crashed through the hoop. "Fine," he said with a satisfied grin, "Coffee it is. Why isn't Lucas entertaining you?" He asked, choosing his words carefully.

"He's with Peyton," she said, trying to sound unfazed and leading Nathan towards her car.

Nathan looked restlessly at his friend and decided it was time he said something. "Listen Kate," he said as they settled themselves in her jeep. "I know you're really happy with Lucas at the moment, but I don't want you to get hurt. I can't help noticing how much time he's spending with Peyton and it just doesn't seem right..."

Katy said nothing as she began to drive away from the court but was churning Nathan's words through her mind. "Nathan..." she said calmly, "I trust Lucas, and I trust Peyton! There's nothing going on, he's just helping her through all her Mom troubles."

"But why does it have to be Lucas? I mean she's got you, Brooke, Haley... She wants it to be him," Nathan said, determined to get across to her.

"It's not what you think Nathan. Besides, Haley and Peyton aren't talking... I know you're only trying to look out for me, but you shouldn't accuse people when you don't know all the facts," Katy sighed, her voice edging on annoyance.

"Okay... I'm sorry," Nathan said, knowing it was easier to let the subject drop rather than drag out this pointless battle. "But just be careful. Now can we get a cup of coffee and forget about this..?"

"I'd love to," Katy said, heading towards Karen's Cafe. "So how was your first day back?"

"Oh, perfect," Nathan said sarcastically, "I spent most of the day on the opposite side of school to Haley moping around with Peyton. Then Whitey gave me detention for the most ridiculous reason and locked me in detention with Haley for an hour."

Katy laughed, "She told me she had detention; I couldn't believe it. Sounds like Whitey's trying to set you two up..."

"I know," Nathan groaned, "It was so awkward, we hardly said two words to each other. I wish..." His voice trailed off as Katy parked the car.

"I'm not going to give you another lecture, but I can see you want her back, Nathan," she said simply. "You're paying by the way."

Nathan slammed the car door in mock anger. "As usual," he said, opening to door to the cafe and letting Katy step in before him. They walked up to the counter and Karen greeted them with her warm smile.

"Hi Katy, Nathan, how are you both?" She asked, putting down her dishcloth to talk to them.

"Hey Karen," Katy replied, "I'm good thank you and yourself?"

"Fine thanks," Karen said, picking up a pot of coffee. "Coffee?"

"Two please," Nathan said, taking his cup from her.

"You two take a seat and I'll bring over some of Haley's fresh apple pie," Karen said, winking at Katy.

"Thanks Mrs R," Katy said, with a smile, retreating back to a table with Nathan. "So back to basketball; you think you'll win this year?"

"I hope so," Nathan said, warming his hands on the mug, "I'm gunna focus on it one hundred percent this season. It's our last chance so I'll give it all I've got."

"Good; it's about time you all did Whitey proud," Katy said. She sipped at her warm coffee and looked over Nathan's shoulder. Haley and Lucas had just stepped out from behind the counter and spotted her with a welcoming wave. "Heads up; Haley's coming," Katy whispered to Nathan.

"Well my predictions are all made," Lucas said, placing his hands on Katy's shoulder as he stood behind her. "They look promising."

Katy turned and smiled at him and Haley. "Good. Well Hales, we're just waiting on some of your apple pie," she said happily. "Karen says it's delicious."

"I wouldn't go that far," Haley laughed, "But it'll fill the gap."

"Haley?" Nathan said out of the blue, "Can we talk?"

She looked over at him with a startled look on her face. "What? Yeah sure..." The two of them got up and walked out of the cafe, Haley giving Katy an anxious glance backwards as she went.

"Nice work," Lucas said, taking Nathan's empty seat next to Katy, "I've been bugging him for ages about talking to Haley and after five minutes with you..."

"It didn't take five minutes, believe me!" Katy said, laughing lightly, "It's just too weird with those two fighting all the time. They're supposed to have the fairy tale ending. Anyway," she said, changing the subject, "I thought you were meant to be seeing Peyton?"

Lucas smiled and pulled his chair up closer to Katy's. "I'm sure I could spare a few minutes for my girl," he said, planting a kiss on her nose.

Katy smiled, "I thought so." The pair moved in for a proper kiss when the sound of crunching plates stopped them. Karen smiled innocently over at them as she slid two plates of pie onto the table. Lucas looked away awkwardly as Katy smiled at his mom. "Thanks Karen."

"Sorry for interrupting," she said, smirking at Lucas. "Enjoy!"

Lucas groaned in embarrassment as his mom left them alone again, and put his arm around Katy's chair. "She picks her moments doesn't she..?"

Katy giggled quietly as she picked up a spoonful of the fresh pie and held it out for Lucas. "Let's see if Haley's cooking is as bad as you say it is?" Lucas ate obediently and pretended to throw up. Katy slapped his arm and the two of them burst into laughter.

"Your turn," he said, holding his spoon out for her. Katy opened her mouth patiently and instead of holding the spoon still, he spread the pie over the side of her face. He dropped the spoon and retreated back out of her reach as she gasped in horror.

Lucas laughed loudly as Katy wiped the apple smears from her cheek, glaring jokily at him as she did so. Just as she went to retaliate with another spoonful, Haley appeared at Lucas's shoulder, her face was pale and blank.

"Haley, what's wrong?" Katy asked, alerting Lucas of her arrival.

"Divorce," Haley gasped her eyes wide in shock. "Nathan wants a divorce..."

Katy's face dropped and she and Lucas stood up immediately rushing to comfort her. Lucas put his arm around her as she began to cry silently and Katy opened the cafe door. "Come on, let's get you home," she said simply, leading them back to her car.


End file.
